An utter classic here - a top quality Barossa wine, with some age under its belt. The 2013 blend of Grenache (64 %), Mataro (21%) and Cinsault (15%) was sourced from no less than nine vineyards (averaging 70 years of age). The intensity and vibrancy of this wine is on full show here, tempered by some bottle age. The fruit is now in harmony with more savoury, earth-focussed flavours - think dried red plums, poached cherries and a dusty, spice-laden finish. The tannins are similarly woven, and complete the picture wonderfully.

Acclaimed Barossa winery Spinifex just go from strength to strength. Vintners Peter Schell and Magali Gely have much to celebrate, being recently proclaimed as the ‘saviours of Australian wine’ and the heralds of the ‘new Barossa Valley’. Interesting, perhaps, as their vines are far from new - indeed, most of the grapes they work with come from vines which are genuinely historic and over fifty years old. What is exciting about them, though, is the fact that they are bringing ten generations of fine, French winemaking to Barossa, thanks to Gely’s family who own ancestral wineries in Montpellier, and who’ve clearly been sharing some precious family secrets. Peter has been trying to catch up with Magali’s inherent wine knowledge by learning from the best winemaker from New Zealand to Burgundy. Although this Barossa Valley stalwart is becoming more well known, the winery is still very much a small batch affair. Everything is done by hand, and with full respect for the vineyards.